Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-04

what made YOU You didn't think ld
take il =
Take what ~
This tidy. Oh, Della, / made it for you
| 1t don't make any difference whether
! Flora choked with sobs She dropped into
Il chair, and put her handkerchief over her
face. Mrs Caldwell heard her, and began
weeping as she stood in the pantry. Della
went ON with her dishes
ooh, Della, you'll--tuke it back, wont
| you " Flora said, finally.
cor course ! WILL if you want me To-.
It's real pretty"
when l heard Of it, the girl went on
| 81 don't know as you want me to speak of
it, but I've got to- felt as if | declare
/ I'd like TO see Lawrence 1hayer come up
with. I'll never speak to him again as long
Us live. Delia, you aren't standing up for
him, are you You don't care if | do say
he's-a villain =
Il hope she don't, walled her mother in
the pantry
NO said Della, 81 don't care
Then Flora offered 10 give up the school.
She pleaded that she should take it, but
! Della would not She could get another.
she said
That afternoon indeed, She went to see
the committee She had put the house to
| rights, pinned Flora's tidy on the big rock
| ing chair in the paror. and dressed herself
carefully in blue-sprigged muslin, one of
her wedding gowns Passing down the hot
village street, she saw women sewing at
their cool sitting room windows She look
| ed up at them and nodded as usual She
knew Of a school whose teacher had left to
be married as she had done She thought
possibly the vacancy had not been filled
Very little of the vacation had passed
Moreover, the school was not a desirable
one the pay was small, and it was three
miles from the village Della obtained the
position. Early in September she began
her duties She went stanchly back and
forth over the rough, dusty road day after
day. She had the reputation of being Il
very fine teacher although the children
were a little in awe of her. They never
! came to meet her and hang about her ON
her. way to the school house. Her road Law
past the Thayer house, where she would
have been living now had all gone well
Occasionally She met Lawrence : she passed
him without "A look. Quite often she met
Olive Briggs who worked in a milliner's
shop. and boarded at Lawrences fathers
She always bowed to her pleasantly. She
had seen her in the shop, although She had
no real acquaintance with her. The girl
was pretty, with the prettiness that Della
lacked. Her face was sweet and rosy and
laughing. She was fine and small, and
moved with sort of tremulous lightness
like butterfly. Della, meeting her, seem
ed to tramp.
Everybody thought Lawrence and Olive
Briggs would be married They went to
evening meetings together, and to ride.
Law renee had a fine horse Della was at
~ Gba hon.
old lover enter with the other girl, and
never shrank. She looked at them riding
past also.
Did you see them Della Z" her mother
asked in iluttering voice one afternoon.
She and Della were sitting by the front win
dows, and Lawrence and Olive had just
whirled 10y the house.
Yes
"Nou kept 50 still, / didn't know as YOU
did"
People kept close watch over Lawrence
aud Olive and Della Lawrence was sub
jected to mild species Of ostracism by a
certain set Of the village girls. Delia's mates
honest simple young souls they would
not speak to him on the street. They treat
ed Olive with rough, rural stiffness when
they traded with her in the one miliner's
shop. She was an out-of town girl, and
had always been regarded with something
of suspicion These village women had
strong local conservatism. They eyed
strangers long before they admitted them.
As for Della, the young women friends of
her own age treated her with IA sort of def
erential sympathy. They dared not openly
condole with her, but they made her aware
of their craftsmanship No one except
Ihayer or a Caldwell alluded TO the matter.
as n general thing in her presence. The
relatives of the two families were open
enough in expressing themselves. either
with recrimnatiOn or excuse for Lawrence,
or with sympathy or covert blame for Della.
She heard the most of it, directly or indi-
rectly. Like many New England towns.
this was almost overshadowed by the rami-
iicatiuns Of few family trees 4 consid-
cradle portion of the population was made
of these Thayers and Calwells-two hon
orable and respectable old names They
were really, for the most part, kindly and
respectable people, conscious of no i'll in
tentions, and probably possessed Of few.
Some of them expostulated against receiv-
ing back those vain bridal gifts, but Della
insisted Some Of them We're more willing
10 give than she to receive their honest and
most genuine sympathy however ungruce-
fully they might proffer it,
Still the fine and exquisite stabs which
Della Caldwell had to take from her own
relations and those of her forsworn bride
groom were inrumerable. There are those
good and innocent hearted people who seem
tn he furnished with stings only for those
of their own kind they are stngless TO
ward others In one way this fact may
have proved beneficial to Della while en-
gagged in active defence against outside at
tacks, she had no time to sting herself
She girded on that pearl-colored silk as if
1t We're chain armor, and went to merry
markings. She made calls in that fine black
silk and white lumed wedding bonnet. 1t
seemed at times as if she were fairly run
ming after her trouble she did more than
look it in the face.
1t was in February, when Della had been
teaching her new school nearly two terms,
that Olive Briggs left town. People said
she had given up her work and gone home
to get ready to be married.
Delia's mother heard of it, and told her
Il should think she'd be awful afraid he
wouldn't come to the wedding, she said,
bitterly.
$50 should !, "asSented Della She echoed
everybodys severe remarks about Law
renee.
1t might have been month later when
Flora Strong ran in one morning before
school. I've Just heard the greatest news -
she painted, What do you think-shes
Tilted him :"
Tilted whom p
olive Briggs-she's Tilted Lawrence
Thayer. Shes going to be married to an
other fellow in May. l had it from Mlly
Davis she writes to her. It's so.
Il can't believe it, Mrs Caldwell said,
quivering,
well, it's SO. declare jumped right
up and down when l heard of it, Della,
aren't you glad -
Il don't know what difference it can
make TO me-"
"lmean aren't you glad he's got his pay Z"
YES, l am, ~ said Della, with slow de
cision,
she wouldn't he human if she wasn't, "
said her mother. Mrs. Caldwell was cold
and trembling with nervousness. She stood
graspng the back of chair. but I'm
afraid it amt so, Are you sure it's SO,
Flora -
Mrs. Caldwell, know it's 50"
Della on her way to school that morning
looked at the Thayer house as she passed
Il wonder how he feels she said 10 herself
She saw Lawrence Thayer, in her stead, in
the midst of all that covert ridicule and
obloquy, that CALLING sympathy, that agony
of jealousy and betrayed trust, They dis
torted his face like flames she saw him
writhe through their liquid wavering,
She pressed her lips together, and march
ed along, At that moment, had she met
Lawrence, she would have passed him with
a iiercer GOODNESS than ever, but if she had
seen the girl, she would have been ready TO
fly at her,
The village tongues were even harder ON
Lawrence than they had been on her. The
sight of "a person bending toward the earth
with the weight of his just deserts upon his
shoulders is generally gratifying and anus
ing even 10 his friends, Then there was
more open rudeness among the young men